Episode Guide

Christopher Reeve became a superhero on and off the screen after donning Superman's tights; Tobey Maguire became an unlikely superhero as Spiderman; and Christian Bale bulked up to reinvent Batman.

You may not remember, but it was Jim Carrey's comedy The Mask that launched leggy Cameron Diaz's hot career; you can't possibly have forgotten Sharon Stone heating up the screen in Basic Instinct; and we look at how the Zorro films turned Catherine Zeta-Jones into a sultry sex symbol (and Michael Douglas' wife).

This time we're looking at how three stars we know and love dearly became defined by their extraordinarly successful romance roles: Julia Roberts in the unforgettable Pretty Woman; Hugh Grant's first rom-com hit 4 Weddings And A Funeral, and Rachel McAdams' memorable performance in The Notebook.

In this episode we review the ecclectic career of Robin Williams, who proved he could do serious just as well as funny with Dead Poets Society; Jim Carrey's versatility-defining role in The Truman Show; and how stand-up comic Jamie Foxx grabbed the Best Actor gong for his extraordinary role in Ray.

Keanu Reeves set the screen (and bus) alight with Speed; Will Smith first got the tar kicked out of him in Bad Boys; and Bruce Willis defined his action status in Die Hard.

Leslie Nielsen launched a career of comedy capers with Airplane;  Robert De Niro introduced laughter therapy with Analyze This; and we started to laugh with (not at) Arnold Schwarzenegger in Twins.

Many actors struggle to establish themselves as serious performers, capable of handling challenging dramatic roles. Michelle Pfeiffer scored an Academy Awards Best Actress nomination in 'Fabulous Baker Boys,' while Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon each scooped the prize for 'Monster's Ball' and 'Walk the Line'.

It was a role on ER which landed George Clooney his breakthrough role in Out of Sight; Woody Harrelson started out in Cheers before scoring Natural Born Killers; and Denzel Washington jumped from St Elsewhere to star in Glory.

The role of Trinity in The Matrix launched Carrie Anne-Moss' action career; Daredevil let Jennifer Garner kick some serious butt as Elektra; and Sigourney Weaver became the original action woman in Aliens.

John Travolta was struggling under a series of flops until Pulp Fiction; Lost in Translation proved that Bill Murray could hold dramatic roles; and thesbian Anthony Hopkins made a sharp career turn with Silence of the Lambs.

Coming from a comedy background, Michael Keaton seemed a most unlikely Batman; Tom Cruise was a controversial yet successful choice for Interview With The Vampire's Lestat; and Daniel Craig became labelled the Blonde Bond.

In this episode we take a look at how Desperado turned the smouldering Antonio Banderas into an exotic A Lister; how Penelope Cruz seduced Hollywood with The Insider; and how Japanese thriller remake The Ring changed the career of Naomi Watts.

Daniel Radcliffe became a franchise player at only 11 when he was cast as the boy wizard Harry Potter; Johnny Depp’s marvelous Captain Jack turned Pirates of the Caribbean into a trilogy; and Pierce Brosnan joined the club as James Bond.

Leonardo DiCaprio became the hottest young male property with Titanic, Demi Moore made the big time with Ghost and Sandra Bullock will always be remembered as the world’s sexiest bus driver after Speed.

Terminator: Judgement Day transformed Linda Hamilton into the ultimate onscreen femme fatale. Meanwhile Ryan Reynolds had largely built a career on comedies when he signed up for a serious buff-up for his role as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity, and Hilary Swank bulked up and learned to box for her devastating Oscar winning turn as Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby.

Diane Lane’s Unfaithful didn’t light up the box office, but did heat up her career; Glenn Close revealed her dark side in Fatal Attraction; and Cher gave a remarkable portrayal of the transforming power of love in Moonstruck.

Canadian born Ryan Gosling landed in tinsel town with The Notebook, Hugh Jackman became another A-list Australian import in X-Men and Jackie Chan broke into the US market with Hong Kong hit Rumble In The Bronx.

Will Smith jumped from the telly to the big screen with Bad Boys; Nicolas Cage has saved the world countless times but it all started with The Rock; and Ben Affleck first flexed his biceps in Armageddon.

The relatively unknown Brad Pitt turned heads in Thelma and Louise; Angelina Jolie stole the spotlight from main actress Winona Ryder in Girl, Interrupted; and Joe Pesci nabbed the Best Supporting Actor gong for Goodfellas.

Although Michael J Fox was the first choice of actor for Back To The Future’s Marty McFly, he initially declined; Eddie Murphy was a second choice for Alex Foley in Beverly Hills Cop after Sylvester Stallone walked away; and Kate Winslet became a mega star when she replaced Gwyneth Paltrow as Rose in Titanic.

Kevin Costner worked magic on both sides of the camera with Dances With Wolves; Robert Redford established his directorial career with Ordinary People; and Mel Gibson double-timed it on Braveheart.

Virginia Madsen had made a career of smaller supporting roles until hitting a major billing in her 40s as waitress Maya in hit flick Sideways. Also in this episode we look at two hallowed British actors who became giants in the consciousness of Hollywood later in their careers: Michael Caine with Cider House Rules and Sean Connery with The Untouchables.

In this episode we look at three women who put aside their pride and beauty with great critical success: Charlize Theron as serial killer Aileen Wuomos in Monster; Nicole Kidman donned a prosthetic nose to play novelist Virginia Woolf in The Hours; and Salma Hayek adopted a unibrow for her portrayal of the titular Mexican painter in Frida.

Russell Crowe jumped the A-list queue as Maximus in Gladiator; Gwyneth Paltrow won hearts and awards in Shakespeare In Love; and Heath Ledger rose from poverty to hot property playing Mel Gibson’s son in The Patriot.